The defense ministry stuck to its flat-out denial Monday of any upgrades to a US THAAD missile defense base in South Korea after a series of reports suggested that last week's transport of military hardware into the base was aimed at upgrading or strengthening the unit. On Friday, the US Forces Korea brought new interceptor missiles as well as other military hardware and equipment for facility construction onto its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system base in the central town of

New interceptor missiles were delivered to a US military base in South Korea on Friday to replace worn-out equipment, amid lingering opposition by local residents.  The Defense Ministry said it has supported the ground transportation of the replacement missiles, as well as power generators and electronic equipment for data collection, and other supplies to improve living conditions of military officials on a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense base in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.&n

South Korea is set to begin basic designing of an indigenous Aegis-equipped destroyer in a move to enhance the Navy's defense capabilities, the arms procurement agency said Friday. In 2018, the government decided on the Korea Destroyer Next Generation (KDDX) project to locally build 6,000 ton-class destroyers by the late 2020s to be equipped with the homegrown combat system. Following basic planning and a review of the military's requirements, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (D

Hacking attempts from abroad targeting South Korean defense information nearly doubled last year, but no data was stolen, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. The number of foreign hacking attempts involving South Korea’s defense information system -- all equipment and software related to the collection, processing, storage, transmission, reception and use of military information -- surged from about 4,000 in 2017 to 5,000 in 2018 and 9,533 last year, the ministry said. Most of the IP ad

The South Korean Coast Guard has arrested a Chinese national who illegally entered the country on a small boat last week, officials said Wednesday. The 43-year-old man was caught in the southwestern city of Mokpo on Tuesday, according to the Taean Coast Guard, six days after he and five other compatriots arrived in the western coastal city of Taean undetected on a 1.5-ton boat and then fled. The vessel was found abandoned belatedly on Sunday, and the coast guard and the military have been car

The United Nations Command (UNC) said Wednesday it is in talks with South Korea about resuming tours to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas suspended last year in the wake of the African swine fever outbreak. The US-led command, which administers the DMZ, said it facilitated the environment ministry's survey on African swine fever inside the Joint Security Area and other locations inside the buffer zone Monday. "These #DMZ sites remain closed to tours, but UNC & R

South Korea decided Tuesday to develop an indigenous close-in weapon system (CIWS) for its warships by 2030. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the defense project promotion committee approved the 350 billion-won ($283.51 million) project that will be launched next year. The CIWS is designed to detect and destroy short range anti-ship missiles and aircraft that have penetrated outer defenses. Currently, South Korea uses the US CIWS system. The new weapon is expected t

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper will discuss cost sharing for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops stationed here at a teleconference next month, Seoul’s Ministry of Defense said Tuesday. “The date and agenda haven’t been finalized yet. We’re in the middle of consultations with the US,” ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told a press briefing. Seoul and Washington arranged the teleconference after the cancellati

The defense ministry said Monday it will expand counseling services for troops to help them better adjust to military life and protect their basic human rights. Counseling for service members was first introduced in 2005 with eight professional counselors. After 15 years, the number has grown to 549, according to the ministry. "By the end of this year, we will dispatch at least one counselor to all battalions or bases of that size, which will bring the total number of those officials t

The possibility of espionage is low in relation to a 1.5-ton boat recently found abandoned on the west coast, the military said Monday. Police said Sunday that the six-seat boat was found on the beach in the western coastal city of Taean, and that they are looking for those who were on board. The discovery sparked suspicions that North Korean spies could have used the boat. But authorities said the vessel could have been used by illegal immigrants, though they are looking into the case with

The Navy plans to send just two destroyers to a US-led multinational maritime exercise slated to kick off near Hawaii in August, a military source said Sunday, as the biannual exercise is expected to be held in a scaled-down manner due to the new coronavirus. The Navy will send a 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer and a 4,400-ton destroyer to the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC) scheduled for Aug. 17-31, according to the source. In 2018, South Korea sent a submarine, a patrol plane and some 700 tr

US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams has renewed the military‘s public health emergency over the new coronavirus for another 90 days to maintain the necessary authority for implementing anti-virus measures, his office said Saturday. USFK first declared the Public Health Emergency over the COVID-19 virus on May 25 and extended the status for another month on April 24. The latest extension will keep the measure in effect through Aug. 20. “The renewed PHE enables the Commande

Sixty South Koreans who were stranded in Africa due to suspended air travel amid the coronavirus pandemic returned home late Friday on a charter flight. South Korea’s military ran the flight Monday to rotate a batch of troops for the Hanbit Unit stationed in South Sudan, and on the way home, Korean residents in Africa boarded the plane in adjoining Ethiopia. Thirty-six had come from Ghana, 13 from Kenya, 10 from Ethiopia and 1 from Sudan. Medical and other support staff were on board to

Lew Byong-hun, the first deputy commander of the Combined Forces Command jointly operated by South Korea and the United States, died Thursday at age 96, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a press release. A former four-star Army general, Lew was one of the joint command’s founding members in 1978. After leaving the command a year later, he went on to serve as chairman of Korea’s JCS until 1981. US Forces Korea Commander Robert Abrams, who heads the joint command, off

South Korean Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min held phone talks with his British counterpart Wednesday and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in dealing with the coronavirus, the defense ministry said. During the conversation with Annabel Goldie, a life peer and minister of state at the British defense ministry, Park shared South Korea's experience in stemming the spread of COVID-19 in its initial stages and explained the military's active contribution to containing the virus. "Minis